Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Elvin Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (July 8):
Question:
Some meteorological experts consider that global warming is accelerating, with the global average temperature in 2024 having risen by 1.55 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, exceeding the 1.5 degrees C threshold under the Paris Agreement, and there is an 80 per cent probability of an El Niño phenomenon occurring between June and August this year. While this may reduce the number of tropical cyclones entering the South China Sea, the probability of super typhoons occurring will relatively increase. In addition, the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) issued a Black Rainstorm Signal on three occasions in June this year, with June 18 marking the first time on record that the Black Rainstorm Signal was issued twice in a single day. There are views that the above has confirmed that extreme weather has become the new normal, and that the Government must continue to draw on past experience to systematise and institutionalise successful response measures, and study further optimising its prevention and response work. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the HKO and meteorological experts have both forecast an increased probability of the occurrence of super typhoons and extreme weather this year, whether the authorities will make advance planning by convening interdepartmental steering committee meetings and consolidating past experience to formulate special preparatory plans to cope with the extreme weather changes that may occur this year;
(2) given that flooding occurred at many locations in Hong Kong during heavy rain in the past, causing great inconvenience to members of the public and resulting in economic losses, whether the Government will make advance planning by conducting early inspections of locations across the territory that are at higher risk of incidents such as flooding, landslides, tree collapse and collapse of structures, including inspecting sky cranes, scaffolding and suspended working platforms, so as to carry out proper inspection, clearance and reinforcement work; whether the authorities will also strengthen early warning by issuing alerts and support information to the public on high-risk locations so as to raise public vigilance; and
(3) as the Chief Executive, when summarising on September 30, 2025 the experience of coping with the super typhoon Ragasa which hit Hong Kong, indicated that the authorities would systematise and institutionalise successful experience so that prevention and response work could be refined, of the latest progress of the authorities’ relevant work; whether the authorities will incorporate the respective experiences of the Drainage Services Department and the HKO in using artificial intelligence to monitor flooding situations and applying advanced forecasting technology into the regularised response mechanism; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Climate change has brought about global warming and an increasing frequency of extreme weather events. The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) expects a strong to very strong El Niño event to occur this year. The associated phenomena may increase the risk of high temperatures and extreme weather. Under the combined influence of climate warming and El Niño, Hong Kong may record record-breaking high temperatures and experience heavy rainfall.
To address extreme weather events, the Security Bureau (SB) has formulated the Contingency Plan for Natural Disasters, which sets out the Government’s strategies, organisational framework, and alerting system for dealing with natural disasters, as well as the functions and responsibilities of Government bureaux/departments (B/Ds), public utility companies, and non-governmental organisations in the events of natural disasters. When serious natural disasters happen, the SB will immediately activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) to co-ordinate a comprehensive response and collaborate the actions of relevant B/Ds and organisations (including their emergency control centres) to ensure the incidents are handled swiftly and effectively.
In the event of super typhoons or other large-scale natural disasters, the Chief Secretary for Administration will convene meeting of steering committee on handling extreme weather to provide high-level co-ordination and supervision in the various stages of preparedness, response and recovery as well as to set priorities for various tasks, thereby enabling the normal daily living of the community to resume as quickly as practicable. If a natural disaster has caused extreme and widespread impacts, such as widespread flooding, severe landslides, or severe disruption to public transportation services, the steering committee will consider making an extreme conditions announcement to advise members of the public to remain in their original safe locations.
The Government will also, as appropriate, disseminate to the public the latest weather forecasts, natural disaster alerts, and related information including flooding, landslides, and traffic arrangements for affected roads through the Information Services Department, the media and social media platforms.
The Government attaches great importance to the threat posed by extreme weather to Hong Kong and sums up the experience in a timely manner, and will implement and enhance response measures in four areas, namely advance preparations, enhanced early warning, decisive emergency response and speedy recovery, with a view to protecting citizens’ safety as the first priority, as well as minimising the damage and impact of extreme weather, so as to allow people’s lives to return to normal as soon as possible.
In consultation with the Development Bureau (DEVB), the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Housing Bureau (HB), the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the consolidated reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Elvin Lee is as follows:
(1) Given that extreme weather is becoming increasingly frequent, before the occurrence of super typhoons or other large-scale natural disasters, the Chief Secretary for Administration will convene steering committee meeting as appropriate according to the actual situation and lead various B/Ds in reviewing the experience, and formulating and implementing the necessary enhancement measures, so as to ensure comprehensive and thorough preparations before the onset of the typhoon season, with a view to responding to the serious threat that extreme weather may pose to Hong Kong. Details of the various measures are set out below:
Advance preparations
All B/Ds will continue to strengthen the resilience of various infrastructure against severe to extreme weather. Some examples are set out below:
- To address the risk of flooding, the Drainage Services Department (DSD) will enhance flood prevention infrastructures, strengthen early warning and contingency plans for flood fighting, pre-deploy staff to inspect and clear drainage facilities, and install tide gauges in low-lying coastal areas, and in collaboration with the Highways Department (HyD), the Transport Department (TD), and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), to launch the Pilot Scheme on Wading Line System at five carriageway sections in low-lying areas with higher flood risk, thereby reducing the possibility of vehicles stalling due to damage by flooding;
- To address the risks of landslides, tree collapse and falling building components, relevant departments will conduct various strategic inspections and follow-up actions, including clearing of drainage, tree crown pruning, and the Buildings Department (BD) will also remind site supervisors and property management companies to ensure the stability of scaffolding, tower cranes and other structures;
- The Labour Department (LD) has promulgated the revised Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and “Extreme Conditions”, providing guidelines for employers and employees on work arrangements and contingency measures under adverse weather and extreme conditions. The LD will also deploy staff to carry out surprise inspections at various outdoor work sites (such as tower cranes, scaffolding, suspended working platforms, etc), with attention to review the sites’ work arrangements and contingency measures under adverse weather, and, where necessary, provide improvement suggestions to the relevant responsible persons. The LD will also remind employers and employees to make early preparation before the onset of adverse weather, to take adequate precautionary measures for outdoor facilities and secure them properly, to suspend all non-essential outdoor work, and also to arrange for employees to take shelter in safe places; and
- To address the improper wind-chasing and wave-watching behaviours during typhoons, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will step up publicity and public education. Relevant enforcement departments will also take decisive enforcement actions and institute prosecutions to deter such behaviours.
Enhanced early warning
Whilst current technology has certain limitations in predicting extreme weather, in particular for heavy rainstorms, the HKO will disseminate information to the public as early as practicable to allow more time for preparation. Should class suspension be necessary, the Education Bureau will announce the relevant arrangements as early as possible to enable parents and students to make advance preparations. The Government will also step up the dissemination of information on flooding, landslides, tree collapse and other incidents to keep the public informed of the latest situation. Regarding the discharge of water from Shenzhen reservoir, Hong Kong and Shenzhen have strengthened liaison and co-ordination. Once Shenzhen commences consideration of water discharge, Hong Kong will be notified as early as possible. Both cities will closely monitor the water discharge situation and release relevant information to the public in a timely manner.
Decisive emergency response and speedy recovery
In the event of actual extreme weather, the SB will activate the EMSC in a timely manner to co-ordinate the response efforts of various departments. The Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre of the TD will also escalate its operating level to enhance traffic monitoring and co-ordinate public transport services. The DEVB will activate the emergency response mechanism to plan and co-ordinate resources from various works departments and their contractors; the DSD will increase its emergency response teams as necessary to handle flooding as early as possible; and all relevant departments will make every effort to handle landslide incidents with a view to restoring normalcy in the community as soon as possible.
In terms of mobilisation, the Government has in place the “government-wide mobilisation” mechanism to support post-disaster recovery work. In addition, District Offices will mobilise District Services and Community Care Teams and District Council members to assist in handling emergencies and contingencies as necessary, including disseminating information to residents, supporting the Government’s response efforts during severe weather and participating in recovery work, etc.
Building on the above strategic deployment, the steering committee will lead various departments in reviewing the experience gained after natural disasters and conduct continuous reviews of contingency plans to ensure that they are refined and kept up to date, with a view to further enhancing Hong Kong’s overall capability in responding to extreme weather.
(2) In particular, with regard to flooding in multiple districts caused by heavy rainstorms, various B/Ds will strive to make thorough advance deployment and preparatory work:
- The DEVB has stepped up preventive and defensive measures to co-ordinate preparedness efforts in dealing with flooding, landslides, fallen trees and safety of building structures. The DEVB has also consolidated the resources from public works contractors. In particular, efforts have been made to increase manpower, machinery and equipment capacity so that swift deployment could be made anytime to respond to emergency situations and carry out recovery work;
- The DSD has completed the inspections and clearance work prior to typhoon and rainy season at 240 locations across the territory which are prone to flooding due to blockages, and will implement the “just-in-time clearance arrangement” as appropriate and adopt special measures, including increasing the number of emergency response teams to handle flooding in different districts and deploying powerful pumping robots on standby in advance at locations with higher risk of flooding. Upon heavy rainfall, the DSD will re-inspect high-risk locations and carry out clearance work again as necessary to prepare for the next heavy rainfall. For coastal low-lying or windy residential areas with high risks, the DSD and the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) have been working closely with relevant departments to implement appropriate measures according to the action plans formulated in advance, including early warning systems and emergency response arrangements to cope with the potential threat of flooding;
- The HyD will inspect drainage pumping station facilities in vehicular tunnels, and install flood warning systems in pedestrian subways with higher flood risk. The HyD will also proactively conduct special inspections and clearance of public road sections (including expressways) across the territory that are prone to flooding due to blockage, whilst stepping up inspection and clearance of drainage channels of roadside man-made slopes. In addition, the HyD will remind relevant staff and contractors to closely monitor weather changes and the latest information from the HKO, pre-deploy manpower and equipment, and activate the Emergency Control Centre in a timely manner to respond swiftly to contingencies on public roads;
- Relevant departments will also make preparations for landslide incidents, including inspecting government man-made slopes with higher potential impact to ensure the normal functioning of drainage facilities. During extreme weather, the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) and the HKO will closely monitor weather conditions, and issue territory-wide Landslip Warnings or localised Special Landslip Advisory as appropriate to remind the public to take precautionary measures;
- The tree management departments will conduct tree risk assessment and mitigation work at high-risk locations, and inspect trees in areas with high pedestrian and vehicular flow, taking preventive measures for trees posing risks, including the removal and pruning of trees, cordoning off areas that may be affected by tree collapse, and erecting relevant notices to reduce risks;
- The BD will issue circular letters reminding all registered building professionals and registered contractors to take precautionary measures, such as securing construction materials, and inspecting and ensuring the safety of scaffolding and tower cranes at construction sites; as well as reminding property management companies to arrange for inspection and ensure the stability and safety of scaffolding used for building maintenance works. Additionally, prior to the arrival of a typhoon, the BD will proactively inspect active construction sites, major thoroughfares, and the external walls of private buildings that are of higher potential risks. If obvious danger is detected, the BD will contact the relevant persons in charge for immediate follow-up and, where necessary, arrange for government contractors to immediately remove hazardous elements to safeguard public safety. The BD operates a 24-hour emergency hotline to receive and follow up on urgent reports concerning the safety of private buildings. During typhoons, the BD will activate its Emergency Control Centre, mobilising professional grade staff to work round-the-clock on a shift basis to handle emergencies involving dangerous private buildings and scaffolding, etc, and to arrange for government contractors to carry out emergency works as necessary; and
- The Housing Department (HD)/Hong Kong Housing Authority has formulated clear procedures and contractual requirements for contractors to take advance precautionary measures before severe weather, including strengthening scaffolding, securing materials, inspecting tower cranes and gondolas, clearing drainage, and establishing emergency standby teams, as well as evacuating workers and closing construction sites before the issuance of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8; the Independent Checking Unit of the HB will inspect construction sites under its purview alongside trunk roads to ensure that precautionary measures are in place; for public housing estates, inspections of scaffolding and trees, checks of solar power systems, installation of flood alarms in lift shafts, and the deployment of removable flood barriers at low-lying estates (such as Upper Wong Tai Sin Estate) will also be arranged to further enhance the flood prevention capability of housing estates.
In terms of information dissemination, the Government will issue public alerts on high-risk locations, emergency traffic information and arrangements for public transport services through the Information Services Department, the media, various departmental websites and mobile applications, such as the HKO’s “MyObservatory” and the TD’s “HKeMobility”, so as to enhance public alertness.
(3) Super Typhoon Ragasa was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record in the South China Sea since 1950, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 195 kilometres per hour. The Hurricane Signal No. 10 was hoisted for nearly 11 hours, making it the second longest-lasting on record, resulting in flooding in many coastal and inland areas. In response to Super Typhoon, all Government B/Ds have worked together with utmost dedication to press ahead with various precautionary, response and recovery efforts, and have successfully minimised the related damage.
The Government has reviewed the experience and summarised the following key elements to consolidate and enhance its future capacity to respond to extreme weather:
- In respect of advance deployment, the steering committee led by the Chief Secretary for Administration will convene meetings before the onset of storms to make comprehensive arrangements for enhancing the safety margin, including activating the EMSC one day in advance, announcing class suspension arrangements, setting up a 24-hour enquiry hotline, opening temporary shelters more than half a day ahead of time, providing sandbags to areas threatened by flooding at an early stage, and mobilising emergency response teams of the DSD to stand by in various districts;
- In respect of advancing recovery, before the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, works departments, the Fire Services Department and other emergency departments will commence recovery work ahead of time to assist the public in resuming normal life at the earliest opportunity;
- In respect of building social consensus and effective information dissemination, the Government will disseminate storm information as early as possible, widely publicise through the media and disseminate clear information through multiple channels in a timely manner, so that the public can keep abreast of the situation, enhance their vigilance, and the community as a whole can build a consensus on typhoon preparedness and disaster resilience, and make joint preparations for typhoons; and
- In respect of technology application, the HKO will continue to make effective use of advanced forecasting techniques to accurately predict typhoon tracks and intensities, providing a scientific basis for advance deployment. In respect of the application of AI, the HKO will continue to introduce AI forecasting and storm surge models to strengthen tropical cyclone prediction, and extend coastal storm surge range forecasting; the new radar will also enhance the monitoring accuracy of hail and rainfall rates. The DSD harnessed AI large vision-language model to develop an AI-based flooding monitoring system in 2024. The system captures footages from road CCTV cameras and has been piloted in areas including Chatham Road South in Tsim Sha Tsui, Tai Kiu Tsuen in Yuen Long, and Tung Tau Wai Tsuen in Yuen Long to identify and analyse street flooding conditions using AI. Upon detection of flooding, the system will generate real-time alerts to enable the DSD to expeditiously deploy emergency response teams to handle flooding situations. The DSD has also partnered with the HKPF to gain access to more CCTV cameras under the HKPF’s “SmartView” Project to broaden the coverage of the AI-based flooding monitoring system. Moreover, the DSD will pre-deploy high-powered pumping robots “Mobile Powerful Pumping Robot” at high-risk locations to efficiently remove accumulated water, achieving drainage effectiveness more than 10 times that of traditional pumps. The CEDD has fully implemented the AI Landslip Warning System in the rainy season of 2026. The system integrates Hong Kong’s historical rainfall data, man-made slope information, and landslide records, and utilises machine learning and big data analytics to pinpoint the critical factors contributing to landslides. Through model training and data refinement, the system can deliver more accurate predictions of landslide occurrences during rainstorms, thereby improving risk assessment precision and enabling “real-time and dynamic” risk monitoring.
The Government will continue to refine and review its response to extreme weather, systematise and institutionalise good practices, and enhance the response capabilities of the Government and the community on an ongoing basis, so as to address the threat of various extreme weather events in future and better safeguard Hong Kong.
The SB has also incorporated the above on-the-ground experiences in responding to Super Typhoon Ragasa into the inter-departmental pre-typhoon desktop exercise held in April 2026, enabling representatives from various B/Ds to incorporate and apply the good practices to their respective future emergency work. Over 80 representatives from around 40 B/Ds participated in this year’s exercise. Respective emergency response departments will also conduct annual exercises before typhoon seasons to enhance their capability to respond to extreme weather.